Trigger device on gun mounts



H. HERLACH 2,787,193

TRIGGER DEVICE c-N GUN MOUNTS Filed July 5, 1952 April 2, 1957 I7 INVENTOR: Heinrich HeP/ac/v B otlmw ATTO ILNESS United States Patent j TRIGGER DEVICE ON GUN MOUNTS Heinrich Herlach, Zurich, Switzerland, assignor to Machine Tool Works Oerlikon, Administration Company, Zurich-Oerlikon, Switzerland, a Swiss company Application July 3, 1952, Serial No. 297,130

4 Claims. (CI. 89-27) operatively connected by a rod assembly to the trigger of the gun.

This arrangement has the advantage that the gunner performs the trigger-actuating movement from the wrist, whilst his arm is not affected by this movement. It is therefore possible to provide on the gun mount a special lever for actuating certain parts, which lever can be operated by the gunners forearm independently of the grip.

In the accompanying drawing a typical embodiment of the invention is depicted. In the drawing:

Figure l is a lateral elevational view of a gun mount with inventive device;

Figure 2 is a lateral elevational view of the device in the position of rest, on an enlarged scale;

Figure 3 is a lateral elevational view of the device in the operated position;

Figure 4 is a plan view of the device;

Figure 5 is a sectional View of the safety lock along the line 55 in Figure 4, in the locked position;

Figure 6 is a sectional view of the safety lock in the unlocked position.

The gun mount shown schematically in Figure 1 has a tripod 1 on which the cradle mount 2 with the seat 3 and the cradle 4 is swivellingly mounted. A gun 5 is mounted in the cradle. Movably connected to the trunnions 6 of the cradle is the sight arm 7 with the shoulder rest 8. The sight arm 7 carries a gun-sight 9 maintained parallel to the gun 5 by the parrallelogram rod 10. The height of the sight 9 automatically adapts itself to the physique of the gunner owing to the movable arrangement of the sight arm 7.

Laterally mounted on the sight arm is a rotary element consisting of the trigger grip or plate 11, which swivels about the pivot 12 journalled in the sight arm 7 (Figures 2 to 4). The plate 11 has a grip member 11a which is grasped by the gunners hand. The arrangement of the grip member 11a and the pivot 12 is such that the pivot 12 is coaxial with the pivotal point of the wrist of the gunner. The gunner can therefore operate the plate 11 with one hand without any movement of the forearm being necessary for this purpose. Pivotally attached to the plate 11 is a rod 13 which, through intermediate members of known type, not shown, transmits the movement of the plate 11 to the trigger members of the gun 5. The plate 11 is rigidly connected to the pivot 12. The latter carries, at the other side of the sight arm, a lever 14 to which the resetting spring 15 is connected. The other end of the resetting spring 15 is connected to the sight arm by the stud 7a. In the embodiment shown, the arrangement of the resetting spring 15 is such that the spring is approximately equally effec- Patented Apr. 2, 1957 tive in both movements of the trigger, since in both move ments it at first opposes the movement and then when the lever 14 has passed its dead centre position, accelerates it.

In order to lock the trigger, a slide bolt or safety catch 16, which can be displaced laterally by the gunners thumb, is disposed on the upper part of the plate. The slide bolt, shown in sectional view in Figures 5 and 6, is slidably disposed in a recess of the grip 11a and is held by the stud 17. A ball 19, acted upon by the compression spring 18, engages tapered recesses at the two extreme positions of the slide bolt 16. In the locked or safety position shown in Figure 5, the slide bolt engages behind a shoulder 21 attached to the sight arm 7 and thereby prevents swivelling of the trigger grip 11a. To unlock, the safety catch 16 is pushed by the gunners thumb outwards into the position shown in Figure 6. Now the triggers grip 11a can be pressed at will.

The manner in which the inventive device functions is readily ascertainable from the foregoing description.

Since, in the device described, the trigger-actuating "ice movement can be performed by the wrist, the forearm can be used for the actuation of some other member. In the present embodiment the movement of the gunners forearm actuates a gun-traverse blocking device. For this purpose a rest for the forearm consisting of a lever 22 is swivellingly mounted on the pivot 12. This lever forms part of an actuating means which also comprises the trigger device described above and by which the gun may be selectively triggered, or a control element of the gun, such as the said gun-traverse blocking device may be operated. The lever 22 is, in the normal position, held against a stop or abutment 24 on the sight arm by the spring 23 attached to the sight arm. The lever 22 actuates, via an arm 25, a rod assembly 26 which in the known manner operates a clamping device in the lower part of the cradle mount. The lever 22 can be moved by the gunner, independently of the operation of the trigger grip, from its normal position as shown in Figure 2, against the action of the spring 23, into the position shown in Figure 3. By this movement the gun mount is locked in respect of the training axis.

With the aid of the same lever it would be possible, for instance, to change the speed of an aiming gear. Where gyroscopic sights of known type are used, in which the target range is determined by adjusting an index mark corresponding to the size of the target, the lever can be utilized for the adjustment of this index mark.

What I claim is:

1. In a gun mount, a trigger mechanism comprising a support, an elongated grip member for the hand of one arm of the gunner, said grip member being rotatably mounted in said support for rotation about a horizontal axis, said grip member extending substantially in a plane perpendicular to said axis, and a rest for the forearm of the same arm of the gunner, said rest being mounted upon said support and extending across said plane, said axis being located between said grip member and said rest at a greater distance from the latter than from said grip member to enable the gunner to actuate the grip member by turning the hand holding the grip member about the wrist.

2. In a gun mount, a support, a trigger mechanism comprising a rotary element journaled on said support for rotation about a horizontal axis, an elongated grip member for the hand of one arm of the gunner, said grip member being fixed on said element and protruding over the latter in the direction of said axis and extending substantially in a plane perpendicular to said axis, said trigger mechanism further comprising a rest for the forearm of the same arm of the gunner, said rest being mounted upon said support and extending across said plane, said grip member and said rest being located on opposite sides of said at a greater distance from the latter than from said grip member to enable the gunner to actuate said trigger mechanism by turning said grip member about said axis, the latter passing through the Wrist or the gunner.

3. In a gun mount, in combination with a support extending along the axis of the gun, a device for selectively triggering the gun or operating a control element of the gun, said device comprising a rotary element journaled on said support for rotation about a horizontal axis, an elongated grip member for the hand of one arm of the gunner, said grip member being fixed on said element and protruding over the latter in the direction of said axis and extending substantially in a plane perpendicular to said axis, a further element journaled on said support for rotation about said axis, said further element having a surface extending across said plane to form a rest for the forearm of the same arm of the gunner, said grip member and said surface being located on opposite sides of said axis, a stop upon said support and spring means engaging said further element to press the latter resiliently against said stop, whereby said device may be operated either by rotating said grip member or by depressing said surface.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,900,999 Rico'rdel Mar. 14, 1933 2,063,905 Bluehdor n et al Dec. 15, 1936 2,168,114 Boussel Aug. 1, 1939 2,383,044 Craig Aug. 21, 1945 2,451,614 Darsie Oct. 19, 1948 2,499,497 Gross Mar. 7, 1950 2,627,132 Dolgacius Feb. 3, 1953 2,659,275 Ericsson Nov. 17, 1953 FOREIGN PATENTS 536,256 Great Britain May 8, 1941 835,423

Germany Mar. 31, 1952 

